Just a week ago, Memphis was in control of its own destiny with hopes of making the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers had just one loss on the season – albeit against UAB which had just fired its head coach – and had wins over SEC program Arkansas and defeated South Florida when it was ranked in an American Conference bout.
Then the Tigers lost 38-32 last week against Tulane at home. And now the Tigers may not even make it to the American Conference Championship with an 8-2 overall record and a 4-2 mark in league play.
East Carolina doesn’t quite have the same overall resume at 6-3 overall, but the Pirates are 4-1 in league play. They’ve won four of their last five games, all being against conference opponents, and their only loss has been at Tulane.
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Memphis vs. East Carolina Betting Odds
East Carolina is a -3 college football betting odds favorite against Memphis, with the Over/Under being 58.5 as of this writing.
The moneyline for Memphis is +120, while it’s -145 for East Carolina.
Memphis vs. East Carolina On TV
The matchup between Memphis and East Carolina will be televised on ESPNU.
The game will kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 15. The contest is taking place at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.
Memphis vs. East Carolina Prediction
I predict East Carolina will win and cover the three-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 58.5 total points.
After an extremely disappointing loss that very may well prove to be a turning point in the season no matter what happens from here, I could see Memphis struggling to move on and be ready for this road trip to ECU.
Plus, the Pirates have arguably the most well-rounded team in the American.
The Pirates are first in the conference in terms of total defense with 326 yards per game allowed and scoring defense with 17.3 points per game allowed. The Pirates are also third in the league in total offense with 467.7 yards per game and fourth in scoring offense with 33.9 points per game.
Now, Memphis has also played well on both sides of the ball. The Tigers are second in scoring defense (21.1 PPG allowed), third in scoring offense (37.1 PPG) and total defense (357.9 YPG allowed), and fifth in total offense (430.3 YPG).
But considering the Pirates are playing at home, I think some of their best players rise to the occasion.
ECU quarterback Katin Houser has thrown for 2,469 yards, 14 touchdowns, and five interceptions on a 67% completion rate while rushing for a team-high six touchdowns. London Montgomery leads ECU on the ground with 534 yards and five scores. Anthony Smith (44 receptions for 683 yards and four TDs) and Yannick Smith (41 catches for 533 yards and five TDs) are the Pirates’ leading receivers.
With road games against UTSA and FAU left after this, I could very well see East Carolina winning this weekend and in those games en route to being 7-1 in conference play by the end of the regular season.
